simegenfandomcom-20200215-history
Unpublished Background
Over the years the Authors, Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean Lorrah, have written a lot of background for the Sime~Gen Universe that, while not making it into the published works, has been the backbone and world-building foundations of this more than alive world. Collaborations between the two Authors, their friends and fans are an important foundation to how things work in Sime~Gen and give insights to the many nuances of the characters and how they function. Here you will find snippets from those conversations and e-mails. Other pieces of unpublished background have also been placed under character names, and locations within the wiki when we could determine where these bits belonged. For clarity's sake (and how the fans have referred to the Authors for years) any initials used are JL for Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Jean for Jean Lorrah. ---- (Source: Index card file. Letters from Jacqueline Lichtenberg to Jean Lorrah) JL to Jean -- August 18, 1977 With regard to "hiding emotion" -- I suspect that if you and I get into this, we'll come back to our different conceptualizations of Vulcans. Cathy has no idea what Kraith Vulcans operate on instead of emotion, and so has totally misunderstood the Donor's role. It doesn't matter --- apparently, she responds as intensely as she can anyway. Meant to give illusion to the reader that Gens are "like us" -- since story with aliens as viewpoint character rarely succeeds. JL to Jean -- August 23, 1977 --- Gens can "hate mankind" but never an individual sime. They are drawn to them. Sympathy/empathy but it must be a one-on-one meeting while they can hate simes as a whole. (Jeter and Joel Hogan) JL to Jean September 29, 1977 "Yes, I knew about Old English and other 'dead' languages and that is why I postulated an enormous time lag in recovering Ancient knowledge. Most people don't understand the dynamics of knowledge the way I do (Whether I'm right or not is immaterial, I can use only my own understanding of the universe) and so don't pick up on why my Sime world is such a hodgepodge of the incongruous (asepsis in a horseback culture that doesn't even have the telegraph!) (Source: Index card file. Jacqueline Lichtenberg interview with Linda Deneroff --- AMBROV ZEOR fanzine #3) The Farris Genes create a body which is hyper-allergic, very fragile, has a tendency toward crazy ailments, tend to go through changeover three years earlier than most simes. These are characteristics which set them aside, but also account for their similarities of personality. (Source: Index card file. Jacqueline Lichtenberg to Betty Herr -- May 7, 1976) Why does the DistectDistect transfer ruin a channel? Style of transfer is addictive because it is ideal --- where sime is not responsible, and the Gen is totally in control. In the Tecton way, the channel remains responsible even when he's not in full control --- this is hell, pure shen. When you've never known anything else, you can live with it. One touch of a REAL transfer, and you're ruined for life. You'll never be satisfied with less. (Source: Index card file. "Culture," dated May 19, 1977) Simes are bothered by sharp blows to selyn bearing or producing nerves -- hand clapping or knuckle-rapping (knocking on doors) causes selyn turbulence to the shoulder and echoes throughout the system. Basically impolite, not serious. (Source: Index card file. "Channels" -- Jacqueline Lichtenberg notes on J. Garrett's first article.) Statement: "Channels are generally capable of sexual intercourse less often than renSimes." Depends on their First Year experiences, how much they are working at channeling, the state of junctedness, plus other minor considerations. In order to be a channel or Donor, one must have few, if any, repressed emotions and be completely free of any inclination to ADD any repressions to those you were born with or acquired in early childhood. (Source: Index card file. "Channels" -- March 3, 1977 -- Attributed to Jean Lorrah) Gaining and maintaining conscious control of viramic akin to Keeper's training and higher disciplines of yoga. Channel's ills usually psychogenic and manifest physically because of psychological stresses --- since the stresses are different, the manifestations (CD's, disjunction, entran) are different for individuals. (Note:CDs = Coital Deprivation) May 11, 1977 --- Rimon's cramps and headaches: "menstrual type cramps but up the sternum area and spreading to the arms with that warm, weakening ache that makes you not want to move." "...A sick headache, just shy of migraine most of the time." May 8, 1977 --- Roshi develops secondary system function in middle years and became unsatisfied with his donor, having a yen for Im. Andle goes for Aisha because ordinary Gens couldn't satisfy him any more. So, a developing channel develops a discrimination among Donors that is mysterious to his compatriots. May 19, 1977 --- A disjunct channel's transfer is BETTER -- so it's halted -- it awakens the lust for the Kill, is more satisfying -- deeply disturbing to the subconscious. June 3, 1977 --- The experience of breakout might make a kid a great channel --- rupturing membranes might dull him for life. Channels who take First Transfer from a Gen develop a greater percent of their abilities than those served by channels (perhaps known in Klyd's time.) First three transfers crucial in setting the limits of a channel's development. Channels have a right to a natural breakout experience. (Source: Index card file. "Donors/Companions abilities" -- Notes on Sergi -- May 10, 1977) Gen might recognize need from outward symptoms, and body might be responding to it, but probably wouldn't know what his responses meant until he Qualified. Only Four-Plus feel their body responses consciously. Normal human empathy might make Gen think he "feels" the channel's need. Donor would prefer a higher need and could feel a difference in transfer, but couldn't verbalize it --- just "happier." All good Companions have high empathy (intuition) and seem to have (and may have) telepathy -- but only as sensitive ancients, as Jacqueline and Jean. May 19, 1977 --- No GN class donor --- not GN-3, GN-2 or GN-1 --- can survive any non-channel transfer. The FACT that you can survive a renSime's Killmode attack is the Qualifying TN-3. All Distect Gens are at least TN-3 and most in-Territory Gens are TN-3 within a year or two of establishment. TN-3's's are the normal run of humanity --- only psychology, culture and FEAR keep out-Territory Gens from Qualifying. TN Qualities: Totally self-possessed, sensitive, generous, self-confident, fearless. Can be trusted, won't take advantage of a man when he's a donor. A person who would use a weakness against someone is a person whose whole psychology is based on fear --- would be a prime victim, a GN forever. June 3, 1977 --- First three transfers crucial in setting the limits of a Donor's development. (Source: Index card file. "Marriage" dated April 20, 1977) Householding and Oath of Firsts -- group marriage composed of all the channels and Donors -- scrupulously honoring vows of faithfulness to the group, not to an individual with imprintation thrown in to complicate things. Family in Mahogany Trinrose: Mora and Imrahan married, Imrahan and Digen in orhuen. Ercy regards both men as her father, equally. Digen can perform a wedding ceremony in Zeor. Also civil wedding possible. The "perfect" Distect marriage --- two men and two women transfer mates. (Source: Index card file. "Jacqueline's response to Marion Zimmer Bradley's letter in AMBROV ZEOR fanzine #3") A thousand year dark ages between the time of chaos and the time of the Householdings. (Source: Index card file "History -- early Tecton" -- attributed to Jean Lorrah) Houses autonomous to a large degree -- more for comparing notes than governing. Some Houses would try a no-disjunct channels rule -- use disjuncts to collect selyn, transfer it to other channel (with a high-field Gen monitoring to keep this second channel from "catching" it --- would come a time when they might all adopt such a rule --- probably the period just before Union ((this, if Keon is invited to join, and Risa is Sectuib)) however, at Union, they would be forced to use disjuncted QN-3's in dispensary. (Source: Index card file "History -- early modern Tecton" -- attributed to Jean Lorrah) RenSimes kept in constant pre-disjunction states (channel and TN-3 transfer) to reduce the number of Kills. Both government and private enterpreneurs kept Pens (Kill spas) out in back country where people could go for a Kill into the time of Unto Zeor, Forever, suspicion survives out-Territory that secret Pens exist...the barrier to integration that Digen wants. Supposedly 20-30 years later no such Pens exist by Digen's time. Tecton can't make or enforce a law outlawing the Kill --- have to sell channel's transfer by public relations work. Eventually, Tecton will control everything by computer and nobody will get away with not reporting for transfer --- Digen may live to see the day --- totalitarian state. May 10, 1977 --- Rule against disjunct channels came long after Klyd's day -- he had to disjunct and hurry into service thousands of QN-3's. Since most simes alive were disjunct, it hardly mattered if channels were, too. Only when MOST of the people were non-junct did they find commerce with disjunct channel distasteful --- then preference became a rule, then law. May 19, 1977 --- Kill impuse is REPRESSED (neurosis-causing?) labeled perverse and un-natural --- so disjunct channel's transfer is hated, disturbing to the subconscious. (Source: Index card file. "Geography" --- Attributed to Jean Lorrah) Norlea = New Orleans Householding Carre located there. A city near the border of Gen Territory in Sime Territory. Keon somewhere in North Georgia or South Tennessee --- a backward area Zeor -- Toward the Colorado end of Nebraska Source: Index card file. "Gens -- Anatomy/Physiology" --- Attributed to Jean Lorrah) February 22, 1977 --- Yes, has selyn conducting channels --- but manifested in the physical body or only in astral or casual bodies?? March 11, 1977 --- Gens are as smart as simes. Experience a growth-spurt at and after establishment, but not of the magnitude of First Year (doesn't have to be) --- is mostly overshadowed by normal adolescent personality growth and they won't know for sure it exists until they get reliable computerized I.Q. personality tests --- though people feel it subjectively, and it may have been an "old wife's tale." (Source: Index card file. "Imprintation" --- Attributed to Jean Lorrah) February 22, 1977 --- A function of the secondary transfer system, so it only effects channels. Has only been identified and recorded in First Order channels --- has something to do with opening the "First" levels. March 3, 1977 --- What is referred to above is a technical term for a solemn life and death matter. In Householdings, it would be quite a diffferent phenomenon --- Gens might try it on a channel of opposite sex (trying out their control), not really expecting much ("love philtre") or only mild effects --- channels then weren't fine-tuned enough for such trouble. (Source: Typed letter from Jean Lorrah to Jacqueline Lichtenberg -- carbon copy to Katie Filipowicz -- May 7, 1979) "Your rewrite of Ch. 3 also arrived; I am proceeding slowly but surely on Ch. 4. I know what is happening, but I don't know what the next chapter break will be; there doesn't at the moment seem to be a natural one approaching. Oh, well, there's a long way to go yet. Yes, the celebrations will be shown or mentioned, or something. I'll work it in. The nager is as physical as electrical energy is --- right? Terminology, again -- but drop the word, as the reader might get the wrong impression. You're right --- Hope would know that her brother had died. I'm assuming that no one crossed the border after Elin Lol, but the community would have had news of Fort Freedom up to that point. My oversight. On last names, Mr. and Mrs., etc. Fort Freedom was extremely formal when Rimon and Kadi arrived. They still are by in-Territory standards --- but remember how you reacted in FIRST CHANNEL when Hank called Abel by his first name? That struck a chord in me, and I figured probably most of the characters in that scene reacted the same way. And without anyone declaring it, a custom was begun -- it's a sign of adulthood to call EVERYONE by first name. Children refer to adults by last names, formally -- except, of course, the kids they've grown up with, who happen to change over or establish before they do. Out-Territory people OUGHT to have out-Territory names. Margid Veritt would never let a little BOY make tea in her kitchen! She's probably already teaching Marnie to cook, but that's not for boys. Not in Fort Freedom. He knows where the cookie jar is --- and the milk container (hmm --- easy to store winter ice in a cave in their area for summer use --- I'll bet they have iceboxes). But you give kids tea when they're sick or when they're cold; ordinarily you're trying to get milk into them. No time for more today. Tomorrow on CHANNEL'S DESTINY, then three days of exams and grading, and then it's over!" (Source: Index card file. "Naturals (Donors)" -- Attributed to Jacqueline Lichtenberg -- January 4, 1976 --- Written to Michael Amsden) A "Natural" as a Donor. This is a combination of genes and training and personality. Valleroy line is a Gen line about equivalent to the Farris line among simes --- ALMOST a new submutation. (On the same card --- "Scribbles" --- Jacqueline to Betty Herr) Hugh is the first of the "Naturals" think Kadi is! The Gen evolutionary process creating an instinctive Companion-type. Hugh's serving Klyd in entran and transfer (whatever happened) was INSTINCTIVE, not training --- he had no idea what he was doing. Source: Index card file. "Need Cycle" -- letter from Jacqueline to Marion Zimmer Bradley -- January 7, 1975) Any sime can be characterized as a "sane, level-headed, manic depressive." The most important determinant in how a sime character will react to a given stimulus is where he is on the need cycle. Post-transfer to turnover is a diminishing manic segment. Turnover to Need is increasing depression and paralysis, unless the transfer will be a Kill. In a junct, pre-transfer is aggressive. Occasionally, you'll see the aggressiveness in a disjunct. VERY occasionally in a non-junct, and then it's shameful, disgusting, obscene. Digen (and sime) knows just how much (being sane) distortion of reality his senses and emotions are giving him on any given day in his cycle. In sime calendar, each day of the cycle has a distinctive name. Unhealthy: Under shorting, Digen's swings gradually leveled out to constant depression only mildly disturbed by transfer. Healthy (Supported by good Donor): Manic segment becomes solid optimism, no challenge too big. On the need half, an energized skittishness, an instability which sometimes reacts one way and sometimes another to any given stimulus. (Source: Index card file. Jacqueline Lichtenberg interview with Linda Deneroff -- from the fanzine AMBROV ZEOR #3) "That's essentially how I arrived at the SIMES! I stole it from everybody in sight --- everybody from A.E. VanVogt to Asimov. Out of my subsconscious after reading a lot of books 3 or 4 times in sequence. Distilling all the parts out of all the books I liked best, a complete concentration which made a universe I like so well I could spend my lifetime writing in it." Category:Unofficial